Morning Ya'll,
Well, I would like talk about the weather but quite frankly there really is nothing I can do about it! In the industry vineyard manager's often talk about Long Island and its seasonal transitions as being quite abrutpt. It is often typical for one to describe the change from Winter to Summer as if someone has turned on a light switch. Well, if anybody out there knows somebody...that knows somebody...please have that person in charge of the switch, turn the damn thing on! I wonder if there is anybody out there that truly enjoys this weather?
The primary question I get now is how will this affect the grapes? Well, the truth is we really don't know? I am optimistic that it will be minimal because we are taking many necessary precautions to combat the excessive moisture. Canopy management is always crucial in any year, but it is especially crucial on years such as this. We have been removing shoots to minimize crowding and also removing sterile shoots. (Sterile shoots are those that do not bear clusters.) Leaf removal from the fruit zone is going to be a crucial part of good canopy management. So, this vintage is not over yet and I am still very hopeful that things will turn around!
Finally, the U.S. Open finished this week and it was a memorable Open for many reasons. Many spectators were able to watch World Class golf as well as enjoy World Class wines in the clubhouse. We were pouring an assortment of wines in the clubhouse and the feedback was great! We are on "Par" with the best wines in the world! (pun intended)
We filmed another episode of the JuanMaker. Check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDYdVVF6RyQ. We have gotten a bit better with some of the editing, but keep in mind this is still being done on virtually no budget! So, I hope that these continue to make people laugh a little as well as make people scratch their heads, mainly wondering, "What is he thinking?" Yes, some may say I am a little crazy, but remember it takes one to know one!
- Juan.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
No "I" in Martha Clara.
Good afternoon ya'll,
Well, we had a great write up in the NY Times on Sunday and I wanted to share with ya'll! Please seehttp://events.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/nyregion/21vinesli.html for more information on this great article.
While, I am referenced in this article I just want to let everyone know that this is something that we have all earned. Wine is not made by one man or woman alone. It takes lots of hard work by many people and this is not limited to the winery and/or the vineyard. It requires the assistance of everyone and this is something we all earned. So, congratulations to all of us!
Cheers and Thanks,
- Juan.
Well, we had a great write up in the NY Times on Sunday and I wanted to share with ya'll! Please seehttp://events.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/nyregion/21vinesli.html for more information on this great article.
While, I am referenced in this article I just want to let everyone know that this is something that we have all earned. Wine is not made by one man or woman alone. It takes lots of hard work by many people and this is not limited to the winery and/or the vineyard. It requires the assistance of everyone and this is something we all earned. So, congratulations to all of us!
Cheers and Thanks,
- Juan.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Pun Intended.
Morning Ya'll,
Well, the weather continues to be rainy with intermittent rays of sunshine. The forecast looks like things should start clearing up next week. I have been getting many questions in regards to the vineyard and how this is affecting us. While this weather is not ideal we are not at the end of Harvest yet and we still have an entire summer ahead of us and hopefully a beautiful Fall. So needless to say I have not yet had any doubts that we can still have a great year!
The weather does cause us to change strategies. In many respects vineyard management is like a game of chess. The reality of this business is when we win it is because Mother Nature let's us. We cannot out-wit mother nature, but we have to adjust our strategy based on her moves.
Our strategy in the vineyard has changed a bit. Every year we remove leaves from the fruit zone (the area in which all of the grapes grow) to allow for sun exposure. We will begin this process a bit earlier than usual to help counteract the overcast conditions we have had. I guess you can say that this is a combination of being reactive and proactive. We do this to encourage drying in the soon to be flowering clusters. More drying equals better fruit set and less disease pressures for us.
On the event side of things the US Open at Bethpage Black is in full-swing (pun intended). We are very pleased to be pouring at the NYS Hospitality tent. Unfortunately, the rain has put a bit of a damper (pun intended) on tournament play but play will resume today. It is a great honor for us to be pouring at this tournament of great competitor's.
We will be the host of several great events this weekend including a Gala for the Peconic Bay Medical Center, Casino Night for East End Art's Council, Summer Time Grillin', and a Sports Memorabilia Show to name a few! So, please let people know about all of the great things that we have going on farm.
That's the news for now, talk with ya'll soon!
Cheers,
Juan.
Well, the weather continues to be rainy with intermittent rays of sunshine. The forecast looks like things should start clearing up next week. I have been getting many questions in regards to the vineyard and how this is affecting us. While this weather is not ideal we are not at the end of Harvest yet and we still have an entire summer ahead of us and hopefully a beautiful Fall. So needless to say I have not yet had any doubts that we can still have a great year!
The weather does cause us to change strategies. In many respects vineyard management is like a game of chess. The reality of this business is when we win it is because Mother Nature let's us. We cannot out-wit mother nature, but we have to adjust our strategy based on her moves.
Our strategy in the vineyard has changed a bit. Every year we remove leaves from the fruit zone (the area in which all of the grapes grow) to allow for sun exposure. We will begin this process a bit earlier than usual to help counteract the overcast conditions we have had. I guess you can say that this is a combination of being reactive and proactive. We do this to encourage drying in the soon to be flowering clusters. More drying equals better fruit set and less disease pressures for us.
On the event side of things the US Open at Bethpage Black is in full-swing (pun intended). We are very pleased to be pouring at the NYS Hospitality tent. Unfortunately, the rain has put a bit of a damper (pun intended) on tournament play but play will resume today. It is a great honor for us to be pouring at this tournament of great competitor's.
We will be the host of several great events this weekend including a Gala for the Peconic Bay Medical Center, Casino Night for East End Art's Council, Summer Time Grillin', and a Sports Memorabilia Show to name a few! So, please let people know about all of the great things that we have going on farm.
That's the news for now, talk with ya'll soon!
Cheers,
Juan.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Let's Do the Twist
Morning ya'll,
Well, I believe everyone would agree in wanting this rain to get out of here! The weekend looks like it will be beautiful. I am looking forward to seeing the sun. The upcoming week will be warming up, but it looks like the chance of rain will still exist. It is still early in the growing season but all vineyard manager's and winemaker's want sun!
The guys in the vineyard continue to remove suckers and put the first wire up on the trellis. We put wire on the trellising to provide support for the vines and to minimize damage to the vine as various equipment travels down the vine rows. In addition to support and minimizing damage the trellis allows the canopy to grow vertically maximizing the amount of sun each vine will capture. The more sun exposure we have the greater amount of sugars and flavors are developed. The vine does turn Sunlight into Wine. An industry book has been written titled this and it is truly amazing what occurs in a grapevine.
At the winery we are pulling the 2007 reds out of barrel and prepping for bottle. We have some new label designs for the reds and look forward to getting these on the bottle. The labels promise to keep us on the cutting edge of packaging. The new packaging is simply stated and elegant. We hope that all will like it!
I was quoted in the local paper regarding screw caps this past week. There is a growing interest and understanding of screw caps in the industry as well as by the consumer. It is unfortunate that many consumers were taught that "cheap" wines went under screw caps because this is no longer true. There are the hold outs in the wine industry that may never convert, but there are always those people out there. However, when it comes to consistency of wine quality for the consumer no comparison exists. Many studies have been conducted involving the bottling of a particular wine under screw cap and cork. The results time and time again are conclusive that screw caps help preserve freshness in a wine not to mention eliminate cork taint. Hopefully more people will be doing the twist!
In any event I look forward to seeing some of you tonight. As always feel free to send in your questions! Talk with ya'll soon.
Well, I believe everyone would agree in wanting this rain to get out of here! The weekend looks like it will be beautiful. I am looking forward to seeing the sun. The upcoming week will be warming up, but it looks like the chance of rain will still exist. It is still early in the growing season but all vineyard manager's and winemaker's want sun!
The guys in the vineyard continue to remove suckers and put the first wire up on the trellis. We put wire on the trellising to provide support for the vines and to minimize damage to the vine as various equipment travels down the vine rows. In addition to support and minimizing damage the trellis allows the canopy to grow vertically maximizing the amount of sun each vine will capture. The more sun exposure we have the greater amount of sugars and flavors are developed. The vine does turn Sunlight into Wine. An industry book has been written titled this and it is truly amazing what occurs in a grapevine.
At the winery we are pulling the 2007 reds out of barrel and prepping for bottle. We have some new label designs for the reds and look forward to getting these on the bottle. The labels promise to keep us on the cutting edge of packaging. The new packaging is simply stated and elegant. We hope that all will like it!
I was quoted in the local paper regarding screw caps this past week. There is a growing interest and understanding of screw caps in the industry as well as by the consumer. It is unfortunate that many consumers were taught that "cheap" wines went under screw caps because this is no longer true. There are the hold outs in the wine industry that may never convert, but there are always those people out there. However, when it comes to consistency of wine quality for the consumer no comparison exists. Many studies have been conducted involving the bottling of a particular wine under screw cap and cork. The results time and time again are conclusive that screw caps help preserve freshness in a wine not to mention eliminate cork taint. Hopefully more people will be doing the twist!
In any event I look forward to seeing some of you tonight. As always feel free to send in your questions! Talk with ya'll soon.
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